


one glance (and the avalanche drops)

by Rebellion042



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2016-10-21
Packaged: 2018-08-11 20:59:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7907488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rebellion042/pseuds/Rebellion042
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Finn, Poe, and Rey have different means of recovery after the Battle at Starkiller Base. It's not as if any of them has a choice, anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. i knew you in a past life

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaand I'm taking another crack at a multi-chapter fic. It'll work this time, I can feel it...
> 
> This reads as mostly Stormpilot but I think it'll lean towards Jedistormpilot at the end?

When the trooper takes off his helmet, something small sparks in Poe’s chest, almost too small to recognize.

They’re halfway through their escape when Poe thinks to ask, “Got a name?”

He gets a string of numbers in reply, said with a practiced rhythm, and makes a split-second decision. 

“How about Finn?”

The name rolls off his tongue like it's always been there, and, when his gunner says, “I like that!” in wonder, Poe feels lighter than he has in a while.

Then, they crash.

Poe manages to drag himself out of the wreckage, regretfully leaving his jacket behind. When he regains consciousness, the first thing he remembers is an ex-trooper named Finn and hopes to the stars the man survived.

He picks himself up and stumbles across the sands of Jakku, yelling the name like his life depends on it.

*

When he gets to D’Qar, his first question is if BB-8 or Finn made it. Snap looks at him in confusion.

“Finn? Who’s Finn?”

He barely has a chance to answer before the call for _all pilots to fighters_ blares.

“Tell you later,” he says as he runs towards his X-wing, ignoring both the unfamiliar astromech and the medic's orders against exertion.

As his squadrons swoop over Maz Kanata's palace on Takodana, Poe sees the ship first.

"Is that the _Millennium Falcon_?" Jess' awestruck voice says through his comm.

He doesn't answer—he's skimming the ground near the palace when he sees an already-familiar figure standing next to Han Solo and Chewbacca. He grins and whoops, prompting his fellow pilots to make questioning noises.

*

Poe hops of the cockpit, back on D'Qar, and is almost bowled over by a frantic BB-8.

"Hey, bud," he says affectionately, crouching and rubbing the droid's head.

It beeps back:

[Friend-Finn is here!]

Poe looks up sharply, honing in on the figure jogging across the tarmac. He stands up when Finn shouts his name incredulously.

Poe runs to meet him, can't stop himself from practically tackling him in a hug.

"You're not dead," Finn breathes into his ear. Relief is evident in his voice, and Poe doesn't know what to say.

"Neither are you," he says dumbly.

Finn laughs, keeping his grip on Poe's arms as they pull away.

"You completed my mission," Poe blurts. "I can't—is that my jacket?"

Finn seems to notice for the first time and starts to shrug it off when Poe stops him.

"No, keep it. It suits you," he says. And it definitely does. 

He has to bite his lip to keep from saying more.

BB-8 laughs at him, nudging his legs.

He gives it a stern look, but can feel his face heat up.

Finn says, "I need your help."

"Anything."

*

Poe's stomach drops when he sees Finn limp in Chewbacca's arms, hovering behind the medics that take him to the infirmary.

He doesn’t notice Rey until she sits down next to him in the medbay. Tears carve clean lines in her battered face, and something inside him breaks as he realizes she can’t be more than twenty.

He offers his hand, face up on the armrest between them, and she stares at it like it’s an alien plant.

He’s about to withdraw when she grips his hand tightly. He squeezes gently, a silent reassurance, and she does the same.

When Dr. Kalonia steps through the door to Intensive Care, she seems surprised to see Poe. He nudges Rey, who’s fallen asleep on his shoulder, and she jolts upright. He squeezes her hand.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he says. 

Dr. Kalonia tells them that Finn’s going to be fine, and they share a sigh of relief. She lets them see him, and before they go into Intensive Care, Poe pulls Rey into a hug.

She tenses for a moment before relaxing, wrapping her arms around his middle.

Their hands stay clasped as they watch over Finn, and the fit of their hands is different than that of Poe’s and Finn’s.

It still feels just as right. 

*

One day, just as Poe gets back from a mission, Jess is standing in the hangar.

“Your boyfriend’s awake,” she says, not unkindly, and Poe’s heart stops.

He doesn’t bother to correct her or follow post-mission protocol—he barely remembers to takes off his _helmet_ —and sprints to the medbay.

Some medtechs give him funny looks, but Dr. Kalonia smiles slightly, looking up from her holo, and nods her head towards Intensive Care.

Poe vaguely registers BB-8 rolling behind him, beeping vehemently, and he gives the droid a consoling pat.

The door _whoosh_ es open, and Poe steps inside.

_Finn._

He’s awake, talking to one of the medtechs, looking beaten but _alive_. Poe tries to swallow the lump in his throat, but then Finn meets his eyes and he can’t.

“Poe?” he says incredulously. “Why…why are you here?”

“Why am I _here_?” Poe echoes. “Why wouldn’t I be?” 

He moves to the chair by the bed.

“Don’t you have more important things to do?” Finn says, eyes downcast.

“You wouldn’t know it by the way he’s been here every five minutes,” the medtech says, and Poe’s face warms.

She’s right, though. Jandra’s been the medtech since Finn arrived, and she’s chided Poe, albeit teasingly, about abandoning his duties countless times. 

BB-8 beeps from the floor next to Poe’s chair.

[Friend-Poe should tell Friend-Finn—]

“Okay, BB, that’s enough.” Poe says, all-too-aware of how much he’s told the droid.

Finn looks at him quizzically, then says to BB-8, “Hey, little guy.”

[Friend-Finn is better], it chirps back.

Finn looks at Poe again, confused, and Poe belatedly remembers that Finn can’t understand binary.

“He’s happy,” Poe translates.

A second later, he realizes that Finn is holding his hand, warm and calloused and tracing patterns that make his heart race.

“And so am I,” Poe continues. “And I know that Rey isn’t here and I should probably be talking to General Organa and that I couldn’t have but I wish I’d been here when—”

“Poe.” Finn cuts off his rambling, a nervous habit. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

He squeezes Poe’s hand and smiles, and Poe notices Finn’s exhaustion.

“You should take it easy. You just woke up,” he says. When Finn looks concerned, he adds, “I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Jandra eyes him dubiously—she knows he hasn’t yet been to debriefing. 

After Finn falls asleep, though, the debriefing doesn’t prove to be a concern.

“General,” Poe says, startled by her imposing figure in the doorway.

He doesn’t stand up, afraid the movement will wake Finn, but Leia sits next to him. She looks at Finn.

“How is he?” she asks. 

“He’s not comatose,” Poe replies. “Beyond that, I don’t know.”

Jandra looks up from opposite the bed. “It’s looking good,” she says. “The physical therapy will be…extensive, obviously, but it’s a small price to pay, considering the amount of spinal cord damage.”

Poe swallows. “What she said.”

Leia’s eyes soften. She grips Poe’s free hand.

“If anyone can recover, it’s Finn,” she says reassuringly.

The following silence fills the room until Poe clears his throat. “General, I haven’t been to Command yet—” 

“—It’s fine,” she interrupts. “Karé and Iolo have already stopped by. I’ll hear your take on the mission as soon as you can get away, but there’s no rush.” 

She pats his hand once, then stands up. 

“I expect updates,” she says to Jandra, who smiles and nods.

After she leaves, Poe runs a hand through his hair. He looks at Finn, lips twitching automatically in a smile.

Jandra rolls her eyes. “I’ll get you an extra cot,” she says dryly.

*

It's about three when Finn wakes up, the jostling of his hand enough to wake Poe.

"Hey," Poe says hoarsely. His hand is asleep, hanging with Finn's between the cots.

"Poe?" Finn's voice is a whisper.

"Here."

Poe sits up, his bare feet protesting the cold floor.

"How you feeling?" Poe says, fingers skimming across Finn's forehead of their own accord.

"Better," Finn replies, but the pronounced wince gives him away.

Poe sighs. "Finn, you don't have to lie."

"Don't I?" Finn counters. "What happens if i don't get better? Where can I go besides the Resistance?"

Confused, Poe says, "You wouldn't have to go anywhere but the Resistance."

As he registers the confusion on Finn's face, the pieces click into place. Poe leans forward and grips Finn's other hand tightly.

"But if I'm not of use—"

“—that's not gonna happen," Poe interrupts.

Finn's eyes squint closed.

"...Finn. Medicine won't kill you."

"I know," he replies, eyes still closed.

After a minute, Finn lets go of Poe's hand and hits the pain pump.

Poe can see him relax as the painkillers seep through his system.

Finn's eyes open blearily. "Ouch," he says belatedly.

Poe breathes a laugh, then stands up to move closer.

"You're not expendable. Not here."

Finn nods almost imperceptibly, his eyes drifting closed again.

"Not to me," Poe adds before he can stop himself.

But Finn's already asleep.


	2. the past echoes in the future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn realizes something he should have known a long time ago, and it's at the worst possible time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOO BOY THIS UPDATE IS SOOO LATE. I apologize, mostly because I've HAD THIS CHAPTER WRITTEN. I got really busy??? But here it is, finally! 
> 
> ...And with no more false promises that an update schedule brings.

Jandra wasn't exaggerating when she talked about physical therapy. Finn's gone through PT almost every day since he was discharged, and it's been getting marginally easier.

Poe walks slowly backwards, Finn's hands clutching his, as Finn concentrates on walking. They make it to the opposite side of the room and break into identical grins.

"Finn, this is amazing!" Poe says.

"Really?" Finn looks skeptical, but Poe reassures him.

"It's been two weeks and you're _walking_. That's better than anyone could have predicted."

Finn smiles at him in wonder, and Poe has to force himself to breathe.

He clears his throat. "So, I think you've earned a break," he says. "Lunch?"

*

When Poe comes back from the mess hall with two trays of food, Jess is sitting at his desk, chatting with Finn. She stands when she sees Poe. 

"It's been fun," she says to Finn, giving him a rare genuine smile. She stops at the doorway and flashes a warning glare at Poe, leaving him standing at the door, confused.

"Jess is nice," Finn says mildly. 

Poe laughs, handing him a lunch tray and taking the desk chair. "Not the first word that comes to mind."

Finn all but inhales the food, closing his eyes to savor the nutty bread. Poe, on the other hand, picks at the food—the same food he's had for five months.

"So, what were you and Jess talking about?" Poe asks, genuinely curious.

"She was just asking if I'm getting settled, telling me about the base. I told her it was hard not to feel welcome between the two of you."

"Huh." Poe's never known Jess to be particularly warm, but maybe even she isn't immune to Finn's infectious excitement. Poe's holo starts beeping insistently. He sighs and picks it up, having known it was only a matter of time.

"Mission from the General," he says around a mouthful of bread, which is promptly swallowed. "I have to go."

Finn smiles tightly. "I was wondering when you'd be called to action again."

Poe squeezes Finn's hand instinctively. "I'm sorry," he says truthfully. "I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise."

He doesn't realize until he's halfway to command that he's kissed Finn goodbye.

*

At command, the General, Admiral Ackbar, Karé, and Iolo stand around the holoprojector. Poe moves next to Karé, confused.

"What’s going on?" He asks; they all seem to know what's happening already. Iolo and Karé cast a glance at the General and Admiral, and Poe studies the hologram. It just looks like debris and and small nebulae— 

“Oh,” he says quietly as he remembers watching the destruction of the Hosnian system from command.

“We need to know if there’s anything to be salvaged from the Republic,” says the General. “Considering your experience, we figured you three would best recognize what’s left of the geography.” 

Out of the corner of his eye, Poe sees Karé squeeze Iolo’s hand.

“This is strictly a reconnaissance mission,” the Admiral adds. “With the Republic and the Order struggling to regroup, we don’t want to incite conflict earlier than we have to.”

“Understood,” Iolo responds. “Are we keeping radio silence?”

“Relative. Just don’t attract unwanted attention,” says the General. They nod, and five minutes later, they’re suiting up.

“Ready?” Poe says before they make the jump to lightspeed. 

Iolo snorts humorlessly. “Of course not.”

“Let’s just get this over with,” says Karé. “Jump to lightspeed?”

“Go,” Poe replies. 

D’Qar becomes a blur, and then it’s gone.

*

They have to come out of lightspeed just outside the system to avoid crashing into the debris.

“Alright, split up, but don’t go too far. We don’t know what kind of company we could have.”

Poe guides the ship between the chunks of planets, feeling slightly sick. His viewscreen analyzes which of the planets the pieces belonged to, and he can tell he’s flying where Coruscant used to be. Bits of patrol ships drift past, and Poe is confused when he ses the General’s shuttle, half-demolished.

“Any idea why the General’s ship is out here?” He asks.

“What? No,” says Karé, and Iolo agrees 

Poe noses the ship closer to the wreckage, lamenting the ancient A-24’s they’ve been assigned for this mission.

“Hang on,” says Iolo. “Are you getting this?” As he speaks, a signal blinks in the corner of Poe’s viewscreen.

“Distress signal?” Karé asks.

“Yeah. I’m closest, I’ll check it out,” Poe replies.

“Poe, don’t you think that signal is suspiciously late?” Karé says. “There’s no way that anyone could have survived that—”

“I have to be sure.” He’d never forgive himself if he left someone to die in the wastelands of the Republic.

“Be careful,” Iolo’s voice warns, but there’s understanding there, too.

“I will.”

He follows the signal through the debris, the unfamiliar astromech beeping warnings when a piece of wreckage shifts. He turns a tight corner—with some difficulty—around a large chunk of planet. 

Poe realizes he’s gone against his own advice and split off from the pack. 

“I don’t see anyth—” His comm cuts out. “What? Can you get us back online?” He asks the droid.

[Calculating…]

“Why do I feel like this was a bad idea?” He mutters.

A small freighter appears from the other side of the rock, and Poe’s had enough run-ins with pirates to know an illegal ship when he sees one.

“Kriff. Can you stop them from jamming us?” He says, already punching what may be a useless distress signal to Karé and Iolo.

[Negative.]

“Great.”

Now he’s going to be captured by pirates, of all things. The A-24 shakes as the freighter latches onto it.

Poe thanks his lucky stars that he’s in an unmarked vessel and uniform, but with a bounty on his head like the one the Order has put out, any smuggler worth their salt would recognize a Resistance officer.

The hatch opens, and Poe looks into the face of a Trandoshan. It says something in a language he doesn’t understand before promptly punching him in the face, hard enough that Poe blacks out.

*

Poe wakes up in the brig of a dingy pirate ship.

His hands and feet are tied and he tastes blood, he attempts to determine if anything is severely damaged—thank the Maker, he’s fine. There are voices above him, and Poe closes his eyes to try to hear what his captors are saying. It’s no use—he can’t make it out.

He doesn’t have to wonder long, though, as the door in the ceiling slides open. The Trandoshan jumps down and studies Poe with crossed arms. Poe eyes it just as warily, and his innate sarcasm kicks in.

“Enjoying the view?” He asks.

“Hardly.” The alien’s eyes narrow in a sneer. “Although you might get us some pretty credits, if you’re who Kandar thinks you are.”

“He is!” Comes a voice from above, the same heavy accent as the one talking to Poe.

“You know,” continues his captor, “this bounty notice is all over the galaxy, _Commander Dameron_. You should really be careful where you fly.”

An alarm sounds, shrill and loud.

“Kriff, Kandar. How many times have I told you to shut off the limiter after we jump to hyperspeed?”

It climbs up the ladder into the ship, and Poe cranes his head to see through the open hatch. All he sees is the tarnished ceiling of the ship. He twists his hands against the coarse ropes holding them together. There’s violent clanging and foreign cursing from above, and the ship shudders, nudging the door above him closed. He can hear its auto-lock click into place.

“Damn,” he says, but doesn’t stop straining against the ropes.

_This could take a while._

*

Finn is in Command, talking to Snap Wexley about Order engineering, when a small alarm goes off. It’s just a slight change in the frequency of ever-present beeps, but it’s enough to make him turn around.

“Signal lost from Ghost One,” says one of the techs.

_That’s Poe_ , Finn realizes, and watches the ensuing bustle with a racing heart.

Snap puts a hand on his shoulder, startling him. “Schematics can wait.” 

“But this can’t,” the General says as she bustles in. “Finn, we need you in the detention wing.”

She stops, frowning when she sees that Poe’s offline, and looks over the screen in front of the tech’s station. 

“Notify me of any changes,” she says, and adds, “Finn,” as she gestures for him to follow.

He trails slightly behind her, struggling to match her pace with the pain in his back.

“We have something of a situation,” the General starts. “You seem to have set an example for some...eager recruits.”

“What—” He follows the train of thought. “Really?”

“Seems you aren’t the only hero in the Order’s ranks,” she replies, half-fond, half-dry. “Now, I would love to trust anyone and everyone wanting to join our cause, but, as you well know—”

“—Programming is hard to fight,” finishes Finn. “So, you want me to…what, see if they’re who they say they are?”

“She won’t say a word to anyone who’s tried talking to her. She looks terrified, most of the time.” The General stops outside a nondescript door in what is apparently the detention wing. “We figured you were our best shot at getting any information out of her.”

She walks inside, and there’s a window on the far wall looking in on a small cell. The girl sits on the small cot with her elbows on her knees, armor strewn everywhere. Finn stares at the top of her head, a bright blonde buzzcut against caramel skin.

Leia puts a hand on his shoulder, and he notices the three other people in the observation room—two guards and Admiral Ackbar. 

“If anything starts to go wrong, we’ll pull you out,” Leia reassures him.

He nods and steps inside the cell.

The girl’s head snaps up, the expression on her face full of familiar dread that twists Finn’s gut. She realizes who he is and her eyes widen. 

“FN-2187,” she says. In fear or in awe, he doesn’t know.

“It’s Finn now,” he replies, and the name already feels more real than the designation. She stares at him before turning her gaze to the one-way glass.

“KJ-5276,” she says tonelessly. Finn nods slowly and leans against the wall, arms crossed.

“Got a nickname?” He asks after a minute.

“Did you?” She counters. “You knew, didn’t you, that you were were different. They may have fed us lies, _FN-2187_ , but something always tasted bitter about them. Did it hurt when you watched your friends kill innocents from behind a mask? Was that when you cracked? Or did you stay long enough to know what it feels like when someone doesn’t see you as a _human but as a machine_?” It’s like a dam has broken, the way her questions and accusations flood out. She’s strangely calculated, and it unsettles him.

Finn waits until the feeling is gone before asking a question of his own.

“Why are you here?”

She laughs bitterly at the floor. “I’m _here_ because there’s no better guarantee of safety than in the enemy’s prison cells.”

“I don’t understand.” 

“I don’t care about your Resistance _or_ the Order,” she sneers, but falters at the next sentence. “All I want is to stop being a pawn in a game that repeats itself. I just want to stop fighting.”

“I’m not sure we have that luxury,” Finn says, forgetting about the officers on the other side of the glass.

“No, we don’t.” Her voice hardens. “We’ll never be anything more or less than what they made us—soldiers.”

He’d like to think that her words don’t strike a nerve, but she’s voicing a fear that Finn’s harbored from the second he left the Finalizer and crash-landed on Jakku.

Still, he replies, “Maybe so. But don’t you want to be on the right side?” He hesitates before continuing. “At the very least, the Resistance cares about its fighters.”

He should have been pulled out a long time ago, he realizes with unease, when the officers heard the information they wanted in the first place.

“Tell, me, _Finn_ ,” she spits through gritted teeth. The name sounds like a mockery when she says it. “Had you actually killed anyone before you joined the Resistance?”

“How much did the Order tell you about me?” He says, because now he’s starting to get angry and suspicious, something he probably should have been three minutes ago.

“They didn’t have to tell me anything,” she replies, and her sneer seems more sinister now. “It’s not like you’re trying to hide from me.” 

And Finn realizes, now, what she is. _Programming is impossible to fight._

_Unless you have help from—_

“You’re Force-sensitive, aren’t you?” He says, but already knows the answer.

“Nice deduction. Want to take a gander at who _else_ in this room is?” 

She stands up, and the door whips open behind Finn. 

“There’s only one way to fight their brainwashing!” The girl laughs after him as a hand pulls him through the doorway—he didn’t think Leia meant _literally_. The last thing he sees is KJ-5276’s knowing smirk.

“Finn?” The General says from far away, and he’s distantly aware of a hand on his elbow. “Finn, I’m so sorry—”

He doesn’t hear the last of her words as he sprints through the hallways, feeling like the walls are closing in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is formatting??? I...need help with this fracking website.


	3. sometimes you only get one chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe comes back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter so far, and chapter 4 is still in progress. It might be a while before I post the last of this, so I'm putting a nice, juicy chapter in now...

The scavengers are still arguing.

Poe thinks it's almost _too_ lucky to be captured by a ship with a broken limiter and incompetent pilots. If they try to jump to lightspeed, they'll explode, so the ship can't leave the system unless the Trandoshans miraculously repair it. He's still fruitlessly attempting to escape the rope, his wrists raw and starting to bleed. It's ironic that he would be able to escape, had his captors restrained him with something more high-tech. As it is, he scans the room for about the millionth time for something to cut or break the rope with; the perpetual scraping of his hands is getting him nowhere.

He's trying to reach what could be a sharp tool, half-hidden and about ten feet away, when he hears more banging. At first, he pays no attention— _they're just trying to fix the limiter again_ —but he starts to realize that this isn't metal-on-metal, and it's accompanied by shouts and grunts. Either the aliens are closer than he'd originally thought, or...

Karé's face appears as the hatch opens. She climbs down the ladder and crosses her arms, smirking. "Evening, Commander," she says. Poe rolls his eyes, but can't stop the wide grin spreading across his face. 

Iolo sticks his head in. "Speed it up, Karé. Hey, Commander," he adds, and disappears. Poe hears a loud bang—presumably Iolo knocking a Trandoshan unconscious again. Karé starts to untie the rope, but gives up halfway through and uses her favorite multi-tool. The heat from the laser dances close to his hand.

"Easy there, Kun," he says, and she pulls the rope off in response. He frees his ankles and follows her up the ladder. 

The ship is a dingy heap of garbage, clearly not well-kept, and Poe steps around the Trandoshans to pat the wall. "Sorry, bud," he tells it.

Iolo and Karé walk past him, and Iolo says, "Come on, you dork."

*

He's relieved to see that the A-24 is still intact; apparently the Trandoshans are the worst scavengers in the galaxy. Even his _astromech_ is still here.

"This seem too easy to anyone else?" He mutters into the comm.

"Hey, we rarely get a break. I say take it gladly," replies Karé. They disengage from the ship, and she shoots at it once, twice.

"Was that necessary?" comes Iolo's dryly amused voice as they fly to the edge of the system.

"That ship was already a piece of Bantha shit," she retorts good-naturedly. “I’m doing them a favor."

"Let's go home," Poe says, interrupting their banter.

"Copy."

"Copy."

The stars blur and tunnel around them.

*

When they land on D'Qar, Connix and Nerro are there—they're the _only_ ones there.

"Can't say I expected a party," says Karé, "but...where is everyone?" Nerro and Connix exchange a glance.

"Well," starts Connix, "All the _important_ people are talking to Poe's boyfriend." She has a distinctive glare at not being "important".

"Wait, why?" Poe asks. "What's wrong with Finn?" He ignores Karé and Iolo’s snorts at Finn being his boyfriend.

"Nothing," Nerro reassures him. "We'll fill you in on the way to Command."

*

Finn’s throat hurts.

He’s been talking for probably the last three hours, and despite the water and brief breaks he’s been given, his head is throbbing and his throat is raw. He talked with just Leia for a while, about Force-sensitivity and what, exactly, this means for him. Before she’d called everyone else in to listen, she’d told Finn, “Oh, and you’ll be shadowing me and helping me if you’re not on a mission.” She’d opened the door to the briefing room before he could reply, her slight smile and the spark in her eyes betraying her serious air.

And then Finn had spilled his life story to a room full of strangers, recounting everything he could remember since he was about four. Every so often, the General would stop him and the room full of officers would discuss what he’d said. They tried to give him breaks, but everyone had questions for him.

Finn is finally finished participating in the discussion—he _hopes_ —when Nerro opens the door a crack.

“General?” She goes to where Leia is seated and says something into her ear. The General smiles and says, “Finn.”

He follows Nerro outside and sees _Poe_ , sitting on a table, chatting animatedly with Connix. Poe stops short when he sees Finn, and he slides off of the table.

“Poe?” Finn says. “But you were—and now you’re—” 

Poe smiles wryly. “Yeah, well. Luckily Iolo and Karé saved my ass. And the scavengers who captured me were total idiots.”

Finn nods, still trying to comprehend the events of the past two days.

“Finn?” Poe says, an edge of apprehension in his voice. “You’re scaring me, buddy.”

“I’ve had a rough couple of days,” Finn hears himself say, and then Poe is pulling him into a hug.

It takes a moment for Finn to respond, wrapping his arms around Poe just as tightly.

“Stop making me think you’re dead,” he says into Poe’s shoulder, and the chuckle he gets in reply is warm against his ear.

After what seems like forever, Poe pulls back.

“Your eye,” Finn says as he notices the bruise blooming on Poe’s right cheek. He traces it with his fingers. Poe goes quiet for a minute before diffusing the tension.

“And I’m sure I smell like a wampa,” he says jokingly.

“Yep,” says Iolo from where he’s talking to Nerro.

“Thanks, Iolo,” replies Poe.

“Would a good friend lie? I can smell you from here.”

“Nope, I think that’s you,” quips Karé, and her and Iolo’s banter fades into the background.

“I’ll meet you in the mess in twenty minutes, okay?” Poe says, and his hands are warm on Finn’s.

Finn nods, and ignores Connix’s pointed look and Karé’s snort as Jess exits the briefing room in time to see Poe leave.

Her eyes widen at seeing him, but all she says is, “Did you two finally get together?”

Finn rolls his eyes. “Jess…”

“Hey, I just think that if the ‘best pilot in the Resistance’ is tripping over himself around you, you should take the opportunity.”

“Alright, leave the poor man alone,” Nerro says from the corner.

“Fine, fine. Just remember, you _share a room_ ,” Jess says, and wiggles her eyebrows as she passes Finn.

His face is hot, and he buries it in his hands. “ _Ugh_ ,” he says, and, feeling like he’s been through entirely too much this week, leaves Command.

*

Poe is rammed by BB-8 the second his door opens. 

“Whoa, calm down, BB,” He says, crouching to rub the droid’s head. BB starts on a long-winded story of how it accidentally trapped itself in the room, and how Friend-Finn was so preoccupied he didn’t notice, and…The binary chatter fades into the background as Poe takes in the bunk, which has changed significantly since he left.

“Finn works fast, I’ll give him that,” he mutters.

For one thing, the room is somehow messier than Poe left it. There are clothes and holos scattered about, along with various new knick-knacks like the ones on Finn’s nightstand: spare parts, a half-assembled blaster, and leather bracelets that Poe thinks used to be Jess’s. There’s a Malastarian flag hanging on the wall behind Finn’s bed, stained and tattered and formerly Snap’s, Poe is pretty sure. He sighs when he sees that Jess has hung a poster above his bed—that _stupid_ recruitment advertisement the squadron had made a couple of months ago. It’s a drawing by Karé of Poe leaning against his X-wing with the caption, _The Resistance needs YOU_ across the bottom.

He doesn’t have the energy to attempt to clean up the room right now, and heads for the ‘fresher.

* 

When Poe opens the admittedly tiny closet next to his bed, the first thing he notices is that half of his clothes are gone. The next thing he notices is that said clothes are part of the mess plaguing the room. He shakes his head in bemusement, pulling on a t-shirt and his standard-issue pants, grateful that at least some of his clothing went undisturbed.

BB-8’s story, which by now has deteriorated into rants and tangents, is back on track and Poe tunes in just in time to hear something about a trooper—

“Whoa, whoa. What was that?”

The droid rolls its head in exasperation, and repeats itself.

“They’re holding a trooper here? Kriff, he—was Finn okay?” Poe asks BB-8, who replies that if Poe had been listening he would have heard that Finn was in his room all night after that— 

“When was this?”

Beeping angrily, BB replies, [Right after Friend-Poe’s signal dropped, approximately 1.5433234…] 

He stops the droid with a hand on its head. “Thanks, bud.”

[Friend-Connix and Friend-Nerro were assigned to brief you on this,] BB-8 whirs loftily in reply.

“Yeah, but I wanted to hear it from you. Don’t tell, but Karé and I kind of tuned them out.”

This pleases the droid, who gives a happy _chirp_ and follows Poe out the door to the mess hall.

*

Finn is chatting animatedly with Jandra, and she grins knowingly when she catches Poe's eye. She says something to Finn, who turns around on the bench and smiles at him. Jandra rolls her eyes amusedly and gets up, passing him on the way out. 

“Look what the mynock dragged in,” she says. 

Poe turns halfway around to reply, “I’ll tell Karé you called her that.."

He sits next to Finn, leaning back against the table. Finn crosses his legs and does the same. 

“So, how does it feel to be back?” He asks.

Poe laughs and replies, “Same as usual, I guess. I was only away for two days or so; I’ve been gone longer.”

Finn looks down and says, “It felt like longer,” with a rueful smile.

Turning, Poe grabs his hands. “Finn, BB told me about the girl. I’m sorry I—”

“—It’s fine,” he interrupts. “It was a shock at first, but I’m okay now. The General helped me a lot, and it’s out of my hands what they do with KJ. I’ve done all I can.”

“KJ?”

“The trooper,” Finn explains. “At first, they weren’t sure how to detain her, but the General says we should get a message from her brother any day now, and once she talks to him, we can see about training me, too—”

“—-Whoa, wait. What’s this about training?” He cuts off Finn’s rambling with an attempt at smothering a smile.

“BB-8 didn’t tell you? I…found out that I’m Force-sensitive. That’s how I defec—that’s how I escaped the Order.”

"Force-sensitive, wow. Am I talking to a future Jedi?" Poe jokes to hide his shock "You can’t get away from ‘em around here.”

Finn laughs. “No, no Jedi training. I’m actually going to start shadowing the General; she told me this morning.”

“Finn, that’s so great! That’s—great, right?” Poe ducks his head to meet Finn’s eyes, and he nods emphatically.

“Yeah, no, it’s…better than I thought things could be. Everything is.”

There’s a silence filled with the dull chatter of the Mess, and then Finn stands up, offering his hand. 

“Come on, I want to show you the room,” he says.

“I’ve already seen it; it was kind of a disaster area,” Poe replies, but takes Finn’s hand anyway. He just grins and drags Poe through the hallways to their room.

*

It should have occurred to Finn that Poe has already seen the state of the room, but he can’t stop himself from excitedly explaining _everything_ while BB-8 offers background commentary.

“So _that_ is the flag I got from Snap, he said he didn’t want it anymore—I tried to clean it but apparently those stains are _never_ coming out. Those are bracelets that I won in a card game from Jess, who won them in a card game when she was on Dandoran. Those are some spare parts I found in case BB ever needs a repair or upgrade—I’m pretty sure they’re for an older model but they _should_ fit—and that is a blaster that I’m in the middle of modifying; the recharge time is way too slow.” Finn knows he’s rambling, but he can’t stop.

“The holos are about various systems; did you know that Thara has an annual festival where the phosphorous creatures in the water _all_ light up, for an hour?”

He can see Poe trying to suppress a smile, but it’s not mocking. “And the poster?” He says, gesturing to his bunk.

Finn follows his gaze and laughs. “Jess must have put that up while I was in Command.” He turns back to Poe. “I think it’s flattering.”

Poe rolls his eyes, and BB-8 makes a haughty comment about how neither of them had been listening, and how it’s going to go find Nerro or someone to _listen._

“Be—” Finn starts, but Poe stops him.

“BB gets into these moods; it’ll pass,” he says knowingly. He looks around the room and adds, “You never explained why half of my closet is on the floor.”

Finn’s face heats up. “Well, I—I only had one set of standard-issue clothes, and I didn’t want to bother anyone for another.” Poe looks at him expectantly, and he reluctantly adds, “...And I may have gone outside for a couple of rain showers.” He mumbles through the next part. “...And slept in some.”

Poe’s eyes soften. “Finn…” Finn tugs on their hands, still joined, and says in reply, “You kissed me before you left.”

“Yes, I did,” Poe says, smiling at the ground.

“Do you still want to kiss me?”

Poe’s head snaps up. “Of course! Why would that go away?”

Finn doesn’t reply, just leans forward and presses their lips together.

He doesn’t want to pull back but it turns out he doesn’t have to; Poe tugs him closer by the lapel of his jacket and smiles into his mouth. He tastes like caf, lips warm and chapped against Finn’s, and all Finn can think is _this is so much better the second time._


End file.
